A Car That Slows Down When You Zone Out

Published on September 26, 2013.

Cars that stop automatically when you're stationary are now fairly standard. But here's one that slows down when you're not paying attention.

To highlight the fact that Western Australia consistently has the highest road fatality rate of any state in the country, the RAC (the Royal Automotive Club, a drivers-service company similar to AAA in the U.S.) and JWT created an "Attention Powered Car" that employs the use of neuro-technology to make the car "go" when drivers are paying attention, and slow up when they are not. The concept car has been used in research in which drivers were tested performing a number of tasks, including talking on a mobile and sending a text, and their brain activity was monitored via a headset.

The development the car is supported by a campaign through JWT spanning TV, press, online and social media. At the website, series of web videos explains the dangers of inattention while driving and the technology behind the car. Campaign production is by Finch, with technology development by Finch and Emotiv